AEE: You Will be Connecting with These Phrases Before You Know it

Summary

All Ears English Podcast: “You Will be Connecting with These Phrases Before You Know it”

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Release Date: July 26, 2025
Episode Focus: Exploring phrases that convey the swift passage of time and how to effectively use them in everyday English.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this engaging episode of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the nuanced expressions that English learners can use to describe how quickly time seems to pass. The conversation revolves around understanding and utilizing phrases that not only enhance language skills but also facilitate deeper connections through relatable topics.

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2. Perception of Time as We Age

Lindsay and Michelle begin by discussing a common sentiment: as people grow older, time appears to accelerate. Lindsay shares insights from a recent Instagram interaction where listeners were asked whether they feel the year is flying by or dragging on.

Lindsay McMahon (02:06):
"Sometimes we want to have an existential conversation about this or we simply want to comment on how fast milestones happen."

Michelle Kaplan (02:54):
"As you become older you feel the time passes faster. I remember thinking as a kid that a week was like a year... now a week is a flash."

This reflection sets the stage for exploring phrases that capture the fleeting nature of time, making the discussion both personal and universally relatable.

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3. Key Phrases for Expressing Time Passing Quickly

The core of the episode focuses on six pivotal phrases: “in no time,” “in the blink of an eye,” “before you know it,” “just like that,” “faster than you can say ___,” and “in a flash.” Each phrase is dissected for its meaning, appropriate usage, and context.

a. In No Time

Meaning & Usage:
"In no time" is predominantly used to refer to something that will happen quickly in the future.

Example & Discussion:

Michelle Kaplan (04:24):
"It’s usually talking about something that's coming up in the future, saying that something will happen quickly."

Lindsay McMahon (04:27):
"For example, I'm sure you'll hear back from the hiring manager in no time."

This phrase is ideal for encouraging someone about an impending event or action.

b. In the Blink of an Eye

Meaning & Usage:
This expression typically refers to events that have already passed quickly, leaning more towards the past.

Example & Discussion:

Lindsay McMahon (05:39):
"Susie turned four in the blink of an eye. It’s going by too fast."

Michelle Kaplan (06:02):
"It's more about the past, often used when talking about kids growing up or things developing quickly."

This phrase evokes imagery of rapid change and is often used nostalgically.

c. Before You Know It

Meaning & Usage:
Used to describe something that will happen in the near future, often with a positive connotation.

Example & Discussion:

Michelle Kaplan (06:35):
"Before you know it, it'll be winter again."

Lindsay McMahon (07:01):
"It suggests that something will be over soon, carrying a hopeful tone."

This phrase is versatile, applicable to both minor daily occurrences and significant future events.

d. Just Like That

Meaning & Usage:
Commonly used to indicate that something happened suddenly or without much notice.

Example & Discussion:

Lindsay McMahon (09:11):
"Just like that, she's five."

Michelle Kaplan (09:15):
"It's often used to describe milestones or rapid developments, like a child growing up instantly."

Though sometimes considered cliché, it effectively conveys immediate change.

e. Faster Than You Can Say ___

Meaning & Usage:
A playful expression where the blank can be filled with any word or phrase, typically related to the context.

Example & Discussion:

Lindsay McMahon (10:13):
"I'll be done using your pen faster than you can say math test."

Michelle Kaplan (10:57):
"You can create your own placeholders, like 'Mickey Mouse,' to add a personal or humorous touch."

This phrase emphasizes speed and can be tailored creatively to fit various situations.

f. In a Flash

Meaning & Usage:
Denotes something that will occur very quickly, often in the immediate future.

Example & Discussion:

Michelle Kaplan (12:12):
"We’ll get through this faster than you can say Mickey Mouse."

Lindsay McMahon (12:50):
"It highlights rapid progression, useful in both casual and logistical conversations."

Like "before you know it," this phrase carries a sense of immediacy and efficiency.

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4. Cultural Insights on the Value of Speed

The hosts explore how these expressions reflect broader cultural attitudes towards speed and efficiency, particularly in American society.

Michelle Kaplan (13:23):
"We are such a fast-paced culture and we value speed, especially within services. We want instant gratification."

Lindsay McMahon (13:53):
"It's interesting to see how cultural values influence the language we use to express time."

They discuss the tendency to rush and the societal preference for swift outcomes, highlighting how language mirrors these cultural traits.

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5. Practical Applications and Role Play

To solidify understanding, Lindsay and Michelle engage in a role-play scenario, demonstrating the natural usage of the discussed phrases in conversation.

Example Dialogue:

Lindsay McMahon (15:24):
"Are you hosting New Year's this year?"

Michelle Kaplan (15:28):
"Michelle, it's July."

Lindsay McMahon (15:35):
"Yeah, but it'll be here before you know it. Faster than you can say 26."

This exercise showcases how to seamlessly integrate these phrases into daily interactions, enhancing both fluency and conversational flow.

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6. Final Takeaways and Reflections

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts summarize the importance of these phrases in building connections and reflecting on the swift passage of time.

Lindsay McMahon (18:37):
"Sometimes it's about logistics of planning things or sometimes it really is about, wow, my life is moving so fast."

Michelle Kaplan (18:50):
"It's a global thing, not just cultural, as we all experience time moving faster as we age."

They encourage listeners to practice these expressions, emphasizing that mastering such phrases can greatly enhance both language proficiency and personal connections.

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7. Additional Resources

For those interested in further refining their speaking pace, the hosts recommend episode 24:45 titled “Why Slow Down in English, Part One: Pause for Punctuation.”

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Michelle Kaplan (04:24):
  "It’s usually talking about something that's coming up in the future, saying that something will happen quickly."

• Michelle Kaplan (13:23):
  "We are such a fast-paced culture and we value speed, especially within services. We want instant gratification."

• Lindsay McMahon (18:37):
  "Sometimes it's about logistics of planning things or sometimes it really is about, wow, my life is moving so fast."

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This episode of the All Ears English Podcast serves as a valuable resource for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to enrich their vocabulary with expressive phrases that resonate with everyday experiences and cultural nuances. By understanding and practicing these expressions, listeners can enhance their conversational skills and engage more naturally with native speakers.

Transcript

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is an All Ears English podcast. You will be connecting with these phrases before you know it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash, subscribe. As we get older, time moves faster. Sometimes we want to have an existential conversation about this or we simply want to comment on how fast milestones happen. Listen in today to build this sentimental connection skill in English.

[Unknown]

Are you feeling stuck at your English level? Are you sure what your real English level is? If you take our free quiz, we'll tell you what level you're stuck at and how to reach your next English Milestone. Go to allersenglish.comfluencyscore now that's fluency score. One word. Allearsenglish.com fluency score.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Hi Lindsay, how are you?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Hi Michelle. I'm doing well, how about you?

[Lindsay McMahon]

I'm good, thanks. So on a recent Instagram video, I asked listeners if they thought that the year was flying by or dragging on. Yeah, because we're already well over halfway through the year. What do you think? Do you think this year is going by really fast or not as not that fast?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I think it's going fast. Like every year, every year goes faster and faster. Honestly it's going fast for me. Yeah. What about you, Michelle?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh yeah, it's really fast. What's interesting is I think six this, the previous six months, like the, I guess the second half of 2024. I think that went by normally. I think time went, goes by fast, but I think that went by a little on the slow side for me. I think there was just a lot going on and yeah, yeah, it just there, there was, yeah. But I think now it's just gone by so fast. So it's crazy to me. But that's one of those things that we talk about a lot. I, I know at the end of like whenever we have our all ears English meetings we usually say oh my gosh, can you already believe it's, you know. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's insane. And it's a great connection skill because I, I do think must be true that as you become older you feel the time passes faster. I remember thinking as a kid that a week was like a year. You Know, a summer was like a lifetime, and now a week is a. A flash. It's just incredible.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It is, yeah. It is crazy. I. Yeah, same. Because it's about how large it is in proportion to your life, so. Because it's always changing. Right. So it's kind of sad, but that's okay. But. Yeah, so we've kind of talked about this idea before, sharing that things are going by quickly. So. But this was a while ago and we. We wanted to take a fresh angle. We have more experience, more expression. So that's what we're going to talk about today because this is a huge connection topic. Some of these. Yeah. Oh, definitely. Some of these are deeper and then some of them are a little bit more practical. So that's. This is just going to be really helpful.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. I love it. Let's start with the first one, Michelle. It's in no time. In no time. And the intonation matters here too, doesn't it, Michelle, how would we use intonation.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Here in no time? Right? In no time. Like that. You got to give a little punch to the no. Right? Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And is this usually talking about something that's coming up in the future, saying that something will happen quickly in the future, or was it. Is it talking about the past that something went by quickly?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, to me, this is more in the future. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I agree.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Don't you think?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, totally agree.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. So maybe somebody is waiting for something. Right. And you want to encourage them. So, for example, I'm sure you'll hear back from the hiring manager in no time.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. Or we'll just finish this last page and we'll be out of here in no time. Yeah. It really is about something coming up that you want to do or that's going to happen, and you're saying it's going to happen quickly.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay. Right. Very good point there. It definitely is, to me, screams future instead of past future.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Really interesting. And before we go any further, Michelle, where should our listeners make sure they are listening to the show if they want the best possible premium experience?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, I absolutely love our app. We have so much on there. You can get your personalized vocabulary list, you can get quizzes. There's so much going on there. And we have it for iOS, we have it for Android. So if you are interested, go to all earsenglish.com app A P. Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I love it. Guys. Go over there again. Allersenglish.com app. No matter whether you're on Android or iOS, there's a app for you over there to go Deeper with the show. All right, Michelle, the next one. In the blink of an eye. That's a good one, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. We've gone over this a little bit, but it is really useful and important, so we wanted to take the time to cover it. It's just very common. It. There's a lot of imagery associated with it, of course. So here you could say Susie turned four in the blink of an eye. It's going by too fast. Yes. Do you think this one is more past, future, or would you say kind of.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's maybe more past, isn't it? That's weird.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, my gosh. We're discovering this in real time together.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I wasn't even thinking about that, but yeah, I. You can say, oh, this is gonna go by in the blink of an.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Eye, but yeah, you can. That's true. It will go by.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And it. But it does kind of lean a little bit more towards the past, I think.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, there's. And often it's used to talk about kids growing up, things like people and things developing quickly. Okay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right. What's the next one?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Before you know it, right? Before you know it, it'll be winter again. And this one is moving into the future. Thinking about the future.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, yes, exactly. Or the traffic is terrible, but you'll be out of it before you know it. So maybe do you ever get it where you see, oh my gosh, everything is kind of standstill and you think it's going to take forever. Right. It's a parking lot. And then. And then somehow it just clears up.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And you're like, ah, thank goodness for sure. It's a weird thing. And we don't know why the traffic starts. Right. There's no rain. It just all of a sudden it's tight traffic. And then it just clears and we don't really know why, but this kind of has a positive feeling to it before you know it, doesn't it?

[Lindsay McMahon]

True. Right? Yeah, you just. Just more like, oh, something will be over maybe. I don't know. Yeah, a little bit of a positive feeling, but definitely more future as well.

[Michelle Kaplan]

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[Lindsay McMahon]

And just like that. That's the Sex in the City, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. I think this is, I'm not a fan of this phrase. It's. I think it's just a big cliche, but people do use it, especially talking about their kids growing up. And just like that, she's five or something like that, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, exactly. And just like that, I'll definitely add that to our list. Yeah, I was thinking of that one as well. Yeah, just like that.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Meaning that's it. You snapped your fingers and this kid grew up or this happened or know the person graduated from high school. Right. These, this is, these are used to refer to milestones, development.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

People growing up. Right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. Let's do a fun one. And this one is really fun. Faster than you can say blank. So. Yeah, yeah, you can put anything in the blank. So I mean, for example, you can say I'll be done using your pen faster than you can say math test. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And what do you put in the blank, Michelle?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

How do you know what to put in there? That's what our listeners are gonna ask. I know.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. I would say it's mostly something related, Right. To what you were talking about. But it could be something random, too, a funny word, a tongue twister, something like that. Right. But I mean, here's here. Could you read the next example?

[Michelle Kaplan]

She can make three sales faster than you can say new cell phone. Okay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So yeah, maybe she's selling cell phones. Yeah. And so you're kind of using a related something related to what's happening. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or you can have a go to thing, like for me, whenever I want a placeholder, I just say Mickey Mouse.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Like, you know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Like, you know, when something is irrelevant. I. I will have to come up with an episode to illustrate how I do this sometimes. But it's like, call it whatever you want. Call it Mickey Mouse. You know why I came up with that? My French teacher used to say that. I think she was railing against talking about grammatical terms like present perfect, past perfect. She said, call it what you want, call it Mickey Mouse, but say it correctly.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right. That's so funny. I love that. So you'll just say it first, then.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You can say Mickey Mouse. So you can have a little placeholder there that you want to throw in if you want to create your own language trademarks.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right, right. You know, it. It could be related if you're. But. Or, or, yeah, it could be a Mickey Mouse.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. These are just fun personality quirks that we can develop over time that maybe we're the only ones that think it's funny ultimately when you drop it. But it is fun. You can entertain yourself in your. In your, you know, in a language too. Right. It's true.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's so funny. Or the last one we have is in a flash. Okay. So in a flash. Oh, wait, faster than you can say Mickey Mouse, would you say? I would say future, Past.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I think. Let's see. Future, future. This is thinking ahead, especially like with your kids, if kids are being a little bit impatient.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Maybe you have to stand in a line for an amusement park Ferris wheel or something and you can say, oh, we'll get through this faster than you can say Mickey Mouse. You just wait and see.

[Lindsay McMahon]

See? Right, right. Exactly. My kids are never impatient, Lindsay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No model children, I'm sure.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, yeah. Okay. In a flash. So this is also. I would say this is also more so for the future. Right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right. So I'm just gonna call my mom and then I'll be done with you in a flash. Yes. So, yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, you could technically say, you know, it happened in a flash, but I do agree a lot of these are stretching towards thinking about how long something will take in the future.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, I mean, Lindsay, do you think speed is valued in our culture? And where are we kind of always rushing? Are these. Do these expressions say something about us?

[Michelle Kaplan]

1,000%, Michelle. 1,000. I'm glad you asked that question. We are so such a fast paced culture and we value speed, especially within services, kinds of services. Delivery quick. We. We actually want instant gratification. Yeah, right. We want that thing right away. And so these are really common and really Important, I think, in global culture, But I do think American culture has even more of a bias towards things should move fast, we shouldn't have to wait. Right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, true. You know what's cool? You were talking about instant gratification just the other day. I was talking with a friend because I think my son is starting to learn delayed gratification. I feel like that's a, it's kind of a milestone because now he'll say, oh, he wants to save this. Or he'll, you know, do something later. And instead of, you know, in. Whereas my 3 year old will be, no, no. You know, and I'm starting to realize this shift and it's kind of cool. So that's great.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, so he's at the point where he would pass the marshmallow test. The famous marshmallow test.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Just in case our listeners don't know, that was a study that was done by some famous psychologist, I don't know who, where they put kids, probably. I don't know your son's age. 87. 8, 6, 7. I don't, I don't know. In front of marshmallows. And they said, if you eat this marshmallow, if you can wait 30 minutes and not eat this marshmallow, I'll give you two marshmallows.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And so they studied what the kids did and then they followed them to look at their life success 30 years later. And they made some, you know, made some observations about does delayed gratification actually help you be more successful as a child? Will you be more successful later in life? Super interesting, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think you could pass it now. Maybe. I don't know, maybe I'll try out with him later. Yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You should run your own experiments, see what happens.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I should, yeah. All right, let's do a role play. We are talking, we are friends talking about upcoming plans.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, all right, here we go.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Here we go. All right. So are you hosting New Year's this year, Lindsay?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Michelle, It's July.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, but it'll be here before you know it. Faster than you can say 20, 26.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Less than six months can go by in the blink of an eye, but I have no idea if I'm hosting yet.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay. Okay. Can we talk about next week? Is that too, or is that too far off?

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, it'll be next week in no time.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yep, in a flash.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That'd be funny if you were asking someone that at this stage about New Year's. Yeah. It's so early or do you actually ask people?

[Lindsay McMahon]

No, I wouldn't ask, but. But it is funny because there are. I have a friend and they. They're always the people hosting New Year's. Right. Do you have anybody like that where they're. They're known for this holiday. Right. So, yeah, I. I wouldn't ask them yet, but at. Maybe in like three months if I was. Just want to make sure that that's what our plans are because maybe we're considering going away or. You know what I mean?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. That makes sense once you get into the same season, at least.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Or July for New Year's. Yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

July now. Right. For sure. And so we're talking about how. Yeah. It's going to go fast the rest of the year. So you said, yeah, but I'll. It'll be here before you know it. Right? I said, don't ask me about New Year's. It's just July. And you said, it'll be here before you know it. Faster than you can say. And here's where we can be a little creative and we can fill in the blank. Mickey Mouse, 20, 26, whatever.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You're gonna get everybody going around saying Mickey Mouse.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I know, I know. It's weird. Michelle, what's next?

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right. And then you said, yes. Yeah. Less than six months can go by in the blink of an eye, but I have no idea if I'm hosting.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, exactly, exactly. And then you said, okay, okay, can we talk about it next week? Or is that something that's too far off? Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Or I. I'm trying to ask you questions about next week. Like maybe I'm gonna ask you about dinner, so we can't talk about next week. So I'm changing the subject. Or is that too far off?

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then I said, no, it will be next week in no time. So I'm willing to talk about next week, just not Christmas time and. Or New Year's time.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. Yep. And I just agreed and I said, yep, in a flash.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, such a connection. Skill, Michelle, because we all experience as we get older, as adults, we experience, experience that time going faster and faster. This is a global thing. This is not cultural. Right, Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, absolutely. Guys. Speaking. Well, we're talking about going fast, but here, guys, check out this episode 24:45 was why slow down in English, part one. Pause for punctuation.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, I love that. That was a series of episodes that we did to answer one of our students questions about what happens if you're speaking too fast. How do you stop yourself from speaking too fast. Super interesting series. Yeah. And Michelle, any final thoughts on the takeaway? I mean, again, it's a connection skill and we do want to be able to comment on how fast time moves.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, exactly. And again, it could be for more of an existential conversation about time going by or sometimes it's fast. Oh, this will be done before you can say Mickey Mouse.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, Right. Sometimes it's about logistics of planning things or sometimes it really is about, wow, my life is moving so fast. I'm already whatever age we are and we're actually having a moment of reflection.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right? Yeah, exactly.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, well, this has been fun. I'm so glad that we talked about this today. And thanks guys for joining us here on this Saturday.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, Michelle, talk to you soon. All right, Saturday.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Bye. You too. Bye.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[Unknown]

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